Saturday, June 5, 2010

Here is some footage of a recent demonstration in Baku. Dispersed violently by the police, of course.

The policies pursued by the Aliyev administration are so short-sighted, violent, and selfish. Those in power cannot hold onto power indefinitely, and when they lose power, the odds of good that the transition will be violent.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Lately, I have been reading The Great Terror: A Reassessment. I can't say it's pleasure reading, although it is compelling. Reading this article this morning, I am reminded of the "justice" system that functioned during Stalin's rule. Incredible fantasies were conjured up by prosecutors, and everyone was supposed to believe these fairy tales. Bukharin a fascist in league with Hitler? Sure! Thousands of military officers in league with the Japanese? Sure!

Apparently, not so much has changed. Outrageous lies are still manufactured by Russian prosecutors. The legal system in Russia has nothing to do with justice or reality. It has everything to do with protecting people in power.

A U.N. rights expert recently made his first visit to Azerbaijan and deplored the lack of progress in ongoing peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Walter Kalin, the secretary-general’s representative on the human rights of IDPs, said progress is needed to help internally displaced people in the region find a sustainable solution to their situation.

I don't know what the solution to this problem is, but I do know how destructive this unsettled problem is to the whole region.

Of course, the charges that Russian police officers stole $230 million have not yet been investigated. And they will not be investigated. Just as the death of Sergei Magnitsky will not be investigated. It is just one of thousands of cases that where justice will never be obtained.

It appears that the Russian security forces have not changed appreciably since the days of Stalin. Do you really expect that anyone will be held accountable for the monstrous crimes of that era? Of course not.